Coronavirus

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says Anne Frank had a better shot escaping Nazis than folks do under COVID mandates today -- a comparison that's invoking one name ... Larry David.

Here's the deal ... RFK Jr. made these inflammatory remarks Sunday at the "Defeat the Mandates" rally in D.C., where he suggested Frank and the rest of the Jews fleeing/hiding for their lives during WWII actually had a stronger chance to dodge tyranny/death compared to people subjected to vaccine regulations in 2022.

Yes, seriously. He goes on to describe how American citizens are able to be tracked with ease with modern-day tech -- citing 5G, satellites and a lot of other kooky conspiracies. He says that while Frank and others could theoretically go undetected back in those days ... today's average Joe has no chance at eluding the government or its partners.

Wild stuff, we know -- especially coming from the son of the late Bobby Kennedy -- but RFK Jr.'s been on this far-right wing tip for a good long while now ... so no real surprises there.

What people do seem somewhat shocked by is the little-known fact that Robert's wife is actress Cheryl Hines, to whom he's been married since 2014. She has a big role on LD's HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm," where she plays his TV wife of the same name.

People started tweeting their disbelief that Larry could possibly work with someone who's involved with RFK Jr. on a deep level ... especially in light of today's comments, which many are calling anti-Semitic, or at the very least ... highly insensitive to the Jewish community.

Of course, Larry's a prominent and proud Jewish man ... and he's made his distaste for Republicans and Trumpers well-known over the years, especially through his show.

Demonstrators have descended upon Washington D.C. to protest against COVID mandates -- and, ironically, they’re blasting music from someone who just succumbed to the virus.

Thousands of people flooded into the National Mall Sunday and gathered at the base of both the Washington Monument and even more packed in front of the Lincoln Memorial ... and wouldn’t you know it, they were playing a Meat Loaf song to get themselves fired up.

The tune blaring over the speakers was ML’s “I’d Do Anything for Love” -- which we suppose is sorta in theme with what the anti-mandate crowd was there for. Song’s all about how one guy would do a lot for a woman he loves, but has a line he won’t cross ... which, presumably, applies to their attitudes toward federal and local policies?

Of course, Meat Loaf himself was against mandates -- having been outspoken about Australia’s lockdowns through much of the pandemic. Sadly enough, Meat Loaf literally just died last week after contracting coronavirus. It’s unclear if he was vaccinated or not.

The protests in D.C. today are expected to draw tens of thousands ... this not too long after the annual March for Life rally this weekend. So far, they're talking freedom, MLK, the constitution ... and a lot of other things they believe align with their vision of the country.

It appears to be peaceful thus far -- and there aren't many counter-protesters either ... which might mean these folks will have the day and space to themselves to push their message.

Adele is super upset over pulling the plug on her Vegas shows, and she offered some of her fans a drink as a token of her gratitude for sticking with her ... but then she quickly took it back. We can explain.

Adele FaceTimed a group of fans who flew to Vegas to watch her kick off her residency Friday night at Caesars Palace. As we reported, Adele put the show on ice for now, because she says half her crew has COVID and certain set pieces haven't arrived ... presumably a supply chain issue.

Well, somehow Adele ended up FaceTiming with a bunch of young fans and offered them a drink token as a token of her appreciation. But, then she realized most were underage so she quickly took it back!

She pivoted and offered them a free gift back at her pop-up store ... which had Adele-emblazoned clothes and other items inside. BTW ... the sweatshirts are priced between $90 and $110 a pop. And, hilariously, she was selling "Cry Your Heart Out" packages of Kleenex.

There's been mixed reaction to Adele postponing her shows. Lots of fans say they understand, but some say Adele should have gone on with the show, even if it was just sitting on a stool and singing, because her voice is why people come.

Lots of people ended up spending a fortune to see the show ... some of the seats cost $12k and even more. There are also hotel and airline expenses.

The MLB season is in jeopardy due to a lockout, but Aaron Boone clearly ain't ready to sweat about it all just yet ...

TMZ Sports got the New York Yankees manager out at LAX this week ... and he didn't seem to be too concerned about the contentious negotiations that are currently going down between team owners and the players association.

Boone was in great spirits ... and when we asked if he had any advice for the players going through the lockout, he said calmly, "Nah. They'll figure it out."

Of course, there are others around the league that are far more concerned than Boone ... given that baseball's been in a work stoppage for nearly two months.

Owners and players are trying to come to a common ground on a new collective bargaining agreement ... but significant strides toward a final deal have yet to be seen.

And, with spring training set for next month -- and the start of the season scheduled for March -- there's a lot of hand wringing going down.

Joe Biden took a subtle jab at Aaron Rodgers over his COVID vaccine stance in December ... and now the NFL star is finally swinging back -- wondering out loud how the guy got votes.

If you missed it, while Biden was touring a tornado-ravaged part of Kentucky, he whispered to a woman in a Green Bay Packers cap and shirt, "Tell that quarterback he's gotta get the vaccine."

The interaction was captured on camera ... and when Rodgers was finally asked about it as part of a lengthy interview with ESPN this week -- he said he was pissed.

Then, he took his own jabs at POTUS.

"When the president of the United States says, 'This is a pandemic of the unvaccinated,' it's because him and his constituents, which, I don't know how there are any if you watch any of his attempts at public speaking, but I guess he got 81 million votes," Rodgers said.

"But when you say stuff like that, and then you have the CDC, which, how do you even trust them, but then they come out and talk about 75% of the COVID deaths have at least four comorbidities."

Rodgers continued, "And you still have this fake White House set saying that this is the pandemic of the unvaccinated, that's not helping the conversation."

As we previously reported, Rodgers has been extremely vocal about his vaccine status in the last few months ... famously explaining he's not vaccinated because he says he's allergic to the Pfizer and Moderna shots, and just doesn't want the Johnson & Johnson version.

Meat Loaf -- the singer with some monstrous hits -- has died at the age of 74.

The singer's manager, Michael Greene, confirmed Meat Loaf died Thursday night. Sources with knowledge tell TMZ ... he was supposed to attend a business dinner earlier this week for a show he's working on -- "I'd Do Anything for Love" -- but the dinner was canceled because he became seriously ill with COVID. Sources tell us that his condition quickly became critical.

Our sources say Meat Loaf has been outspoken about COVID, railing with folks in Australia recently about vaccine mandates. We do not know if he was vaccinated.

Greene added that Meat Loaf's wife and 2 daughters were by his side when he passed away.

Meat Loaf was one of the greatest rock singers of all time. His 1977 "Bat Out of Hell" album sold an astounding 65 million copies. That album produced several hits, including "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad," which charted at #11 on Billboard.

Meat Loaf followed up with a sequel years later -- "Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell" - which produced a number 1 hit, "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)." He won a Grammy for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance.

Meat Loaf also appeared in a ton of movies and TV shows, including "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," "Spice World: The Movie" and "Fight Club" He also performed in the musical "Hair," both on and off-Broadway.

His real name was Marvin Lee Aday. As for how he acquired the name of a delicious meal ... his football coach named him Meat Loaf because of his weight. His first band was called Meat Loaf Soul.

Now get this ... his first album was a duet with a singer named Stoney and it was released on Motown.

Meat Loaf appeared on "TMZ Live" back in 2014, promoting his new show in Vegas.

We last got Meat Loaf in NYC back in 2019, where he told us why his stage name should appeal to vegetarians and vegans alike.

Adele says she's tried everything possible, but the show will NOT go on, as they say -- COVID has forced her to cancel her upcoming Vegas residency.

Adele apologized to fans Thursday for having to cancel at the last minute. She says she tried hard to make sure her show was ready in time, but she says it's been nearly impossible with delivery delays, and half of her team being down due to COVID-19.

Adele was set to have her opening show this weekend as a part of her “Weekends with Adele” residency. She planned to do 24 shows starting this month and running through April.

But, now fans who traveled to Sin City will have to find something else to do, because they won't be hearing from the Grammy-award winning singer ... not this weekend, anyway.

Adele obviously appeared very remorseful, and distraught about the decision -- she says she intends to reschedule, and she's "gonna get [the show] to where it's supposed to be."

No word yet on when those new dates will be, but ya gotta feel for Adele when you see how upset she is about the delay.

Memphis hoops head coach Penny Hardaway absolutely lost it on media members following yet another defeat ... imploring journalists to "stop asking me stupid f***ing questions."

The explosion all went down Thursday, just minutes after the Tigers lost to SMU -- their third straight L -- when Hardaway was asked, in part, if the game was "embarrassing."

"I think the one thing I can say to this media -- because this media gets kind of f***ed up sometimes when it comes to me," Hardaway said.

"We don't have our full roster. Y'all know we don't have our full roster. Stop asking me stupid f***ing questions about if I feel like I can do something."

Hardaway continued railing on the reporters for nearly a full minute ... adding, "Stop disrespecting me, bro. Like, don't do that. I work too f***ing hard. I work way too hard for that."

Hardaway -- who's been coaching at Memphis since 2018 and had NCAA Tournament aspirations before the year began -- then called some media members' articles "bulls***."

If you're wondering, Penny's Tigers are just 9-8 on the season now ... although, like Hardaway said in his tirade, they have been shorthanded for most of the year.

Players have been in and out of lineups due to COVID and injuries ... and Hardaway was forced to start a lineup of nearly all freshmen against SMU.

Fashion icon Andre Leon Talley has died at 73 ... TMZ has learned.

A source with direct knowledge tells us Vogue's former creative director and one-time editor-at-large passed away Tuesday at a hospital in White Plains, NY. It's currently unclear exactly what he was battling in the hospital.

Talley was instrumental to Vogue's vision and direction in the '80s and '90s, when he worked his way up the magazine ranks to eventually become the news director -- which he helmed from '83 to '87 -- and then ascended to Vogue's creative director in '88.

He held that post for a good 7 or so years, and before long ... he was heading up all of Vogue as the EAL -- with a slight break in between -- until 2013, when he left the company. Even after his official departure, however, he continued to contribute to Vogue in varying capacities ... including podcast appearances.

ALT will perhaps be best remembered as a trailblazer in the fashion world -- not just for his stylish flair, but for his push to include more POC on the runway ... specifically, Black models.

His work and career speak for themselves ... and so has his consulting work elsewhere, including being a stylist for Michelle Obama on a shoot and even serving as a judge on 'America's Next Top Model' ... among many other notable achievements, like his 'SATC' cameo and frequent Wendy Williams chats.

He has worked side by side with Anna Wintour -- Vogue's editor-in-chief -- for decades ... and is considered one of the first mainstream African-American tastemakers in the U.S.  Andre was also an LGBT icon ... although he never specifically said he was gay, but more fluid than anything in his sexuality.

The last time we got him out was in 2017, when he was dishing about Rihanna, fashion ... and Trump. It was a peak Andre moment, with his big personality on full display in front of the cameras.

He was 73.

Like Novak Djokovic, Kelly Slater could also find himself barred from competing in Australia this year if he's COVID unvaccinated ... a high-ranking Australian government official announced this week.

The surfing legend hasn't said publicly if he's gotten the shots or not -- but after leaving anti-vax rhetoric in a recent social media post, the speculation is that Slater is, indeed, unvaxxed.

And, according to Australian Federal Sports Minister Richard Colbeck, if that's the case -- Slater has "no chance of getting into the country" to surf in upcoming major events Down Under.

Colbeck made the comments to The Age, saying the 49-year-old can apply for an exemption like Djokovic did. But, he insisted no preferential treatment would be given to Slater just because he's a surf legend, and he could end up facing a similar fate as Djokovic if he goes down that path.

"I reckon he knows the rules. It doesn't matter whether you're a surfer, or a tennis player, a tourist or anyone else, those are the rules. They apply to everyone," Colbeck said.

"I don't like the chances of him competing in Victoria, and I'd hate to think of what the chances were of him competing in Western Australia."

The World Surf League has two big events in Australia slated for April.

Slater, meanwhile, ripped the Djokovic Australia COVID vaccine saga earlier this month on social media ... writing "Maybe Stockholm Syndrome can now change its name to Melbourne/Australia Syndrome."

"It's sad to see the celebrated division by the 'virtuous' vaccinated," Slater added. "If you're vaccinated why are you concerned/worried about anyone else's status...unless, of course, it doesn't protect you?"

Tennis star Nick Kyrgios committed a huge COVID no-no on Tuesday -- celebrating his Australian Open win by taking a swig of a fan's beer.

Check out the clip ... after Kyrgios defeated his opponent, Liam Broady, in the first round, he went over to some fans and had a beer put in his face.

The supporter holding the suds appeared to urge Nick to drink -- and after a few seconds of debating it, he caved and took a sip from the guy's cup.

Of course, the fans in attendance loved every second of it -- encouraging the tennis star to keep drinking -- but it might not have been the best optics for the major event.

Even though the 26-year-old Kyrgios was born and raised in Australia and loves his fans there -- given all the COVID drama that just went down with Novak Djokovic in the country, event organizers couldn't have been thrilled to see the scene.

You'll recall, Djokovic was just booted from the country after Australian government officials said his COVID vax status posed a threat to public safety. Maskless sipping of strangers' drinks might just fall in the same vein.

No word yet on if Kyrgios will face any type of reprimand for the actions.

Stephen A. Smith says his battle with COVID-19 included pneumonia in both his lungs as well as a 103-degree fever "every night" ... and things got so bad, he wondered if he was going to die.

The ESPN personality -- who returned to "First Take" this week after being away from the show to fight the virus the past several weeks -- spoke in-depth Monday about his bout with corona, and he revealed it was pure hell.

Smith said there were night sweats, fevers, headaches and a cough -- and he said it was all so awful, he was forced to spend New Year's Day in the hospital.

"I can't tell you how lucky and sincerely blessed I am to be sitting here with you guys today," Smith told his co-hosts, "because two-and-a-half, three weeks ago, I didn't know if I was going to make it."

Smith said doctors told him if he hadn't been vaccinated, he likely would be dead.

"That’s how bad it was," Smith said. "I had pneumonia in both lungs. My liver was bad. It ravaged me."

A famous pastor out of Oklahoma got very literal in his sermon this weekend about seeing God's hazy vision for ourselves in 2022 -- needing to hawk one to make his point.

Michael Todd, who leads the Transformation Church in Tulsa, conjured up grossed-out reactions from his congregation Sunday during his service -- which was being streamed for the folks at home. The reason ... he wiped his own spit all over the face of a parishioner, who was up there volunteering for the yuck fest.

Even crazier ... the guy just stood there and took it!!! Check out this video of the moment it happened -- it's surreal to see, because Mike really builds up to it with a lot of theater.

The whole purpose of doing this, it seems, was to emphasize his analogy about how "receiving vision from God might get nasty." We'll let him do the explaining -- 'cause, frankly, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to us -- but he seems to be saying ... sometimes, you'll  have to go through some muck to fulfill God's will. Or ... something like that!

It's ironic ... as the audience gasps in horror at his weird stunt, MT fully leans into it ... arguing that's the exact sort of response one will get for answering God's call, no matter how counterintuitive it might feel ... like letting someone rub a bunch of loogies/saliva on your mug.

Of course, he's getting totally roasted online over this ... as is this poor guy who allowed himself to be the guinea pig. Y'know ... on account of the pandemic and all.

Just doesn't seem safe ... even if God cosigns. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Stick a fork in it -- Novak Djokovic's Australian Open vaccine drama is officially over for now ... as the tennis superstar landed back in Serbia after getting deported from Down Under.

34-year-old ND touched down in Belgrade on Monday and was met by a small group of fans ... with one sneaking in a selfie with the controversial player.

As we previously reported, the 9-time champ fought like hell to be able to defend his title in 2022 ... but his vaccine status eventually led to his one-way ticket outta Australia.

Now, as Novak was set to take the court on Monday ... he's back home and will be forced to watch from the couch.

While his AO hopes have disappeared, Djokovic now has the French Open to worry about in May. French officials recently announced a new law requiring the jab in order to attend sports events would not have exceptions ... meaning Novak could run into the same issue again.

Novak Djokovic won't participate in the Australia Open after all ... he's finally been deported.

The tennis star got the boot Sunday after a 3-judge panel rejected his appeal to stay in the country after Aussie Immigration Minister Alex Hawke revoked his visa for a second time ... now under a "health and good order" rationale. He was scheduled to start playing Monday.

Djokovic left Australia on a plane to Dubai earlier in the day ... but it's unclear where his final destination lies. Serbia's Prime Minister called the decision "scandalous" ... and ND said he was disappointed as well.

One of Djokovic's arguments for being allowed to stay -- even though he's unvaccinated, which is a requirement for anyone traveling down under right now -- was that kicking him out would only fan anti-vaxx sentiments, antithetical to what the Aussie government wants.

The court wasn't buying that though ... and ruled against him. This, of course, comes after Djokovic was cut loose earlier last week when a judge found the government acted too hastily in revoking his visa/detaining him the first time ... but the government struck again under different reasoning the 2nd time -- citing public safety/interest.

Djokovic was given a medical exemption to begin with by two different tennis bodies, because he'd caught COVID in December -- but in the end, the Australian government overrode that ... pointing that, in and of itself, wasn't a loophole that could be allowed on their watch.

Well, chalk this up to, if you don't laugh you'll cry, because 'SNL' slayed with their cold open, where "President Biden" blamed COVID and pretty much every other problem plaguing on America on ... SPIDER-MAN!!!

Pete Davidson -- who's become the star of 'SNL' -- appeared in all his glory as Joe Biden in the real universe, and it's pretty hilarious.

But before that, Biden (played by James Austin Johnson) explained there's a cure for COVID, and it's not the vaccine ... simply put, "Stop seeing 'Spider-Man!'"

Biden's getting grilled like a cheeseburger at a White House news conference, connecting the dots by saying, "Now, think about it. When did ‘Spider-Man’ come out? Dec. 17. When did every single person get Omicron? The week after Dec. 17."

And then there was this advice from the Prez  ... "See anything else.” I saw the first half-hour of ‘House of Gucci.’ That’s more than enough movie for anyone."

As for how you know if you have COVID ... "You want to know if you have Covid? Look at your hand. Is it holding a ticket that says you recently went to see ‘Spider-Man’? If so, you have Covid."

Then Pete appears, baring his tattoo-covered chest and explaining why, in the real world, Biden was not President. It's funny, but treading on dangerous territory.